Needle threader



June 9, 1953 w. A; CQTTER 2,641,394

NEEDLE THREADER Filed July 27, 1949 I, /I/' //l2 24 l 34 a F i 22 1 r2 v 21K //27 34 /Z 9 a I v 25 4 IN 26 m" FIG. 4 /9 ml 22 U 2/ 77 w 34 =7 22 4 Q FIG. 2 lea F IG. 5

. INVENTOR l l z'lliam/l. Coffer 5. 7%

- ATTORNEY Rummy nun Patented June 9, 1953 minors Tun-Tanners Williaan A. Gotten. New York. N: Ya, assigns): to

Cotter Productslnc New YoflgfN. Y..

mpplicaticnJuly 27, 1949; Serial No. roams? 1. This? invention relates to. needle threaders; An object or this invention. is: to provide a. needle threader of the type which. includes: at; least: one upstanding needle; positioning socket, a threadnotch adjacent the lower end or the socket and a passage adapted: to; receive-a si'i'dablehook: for movement. into and across thelower' end: or the: socket}. wherein: the. hook. pas sage! and hook are formed its an improved mam nor to insure proper movement or the hookrelativeto the: needle socket.

Afurther objector this: invention is. to provide a needle thread'er of: the character described which. comprises; a casing formed with. a: needle socket; and a: thread; notch; adjacent the; socket. together with a. hook. passageextending trans-- versel'y' of. the. socket, the hook: passage being defined by a. pair ofclosely and; uniformly spacedwalls, and a hook member of, uniform thickness slidably mounted; in: the hook. pas sage, the thickness of: the hook member being no: greater than: the-transverse dimension of? the needle: socket: at the; lower end' thereof.

Another. objectof this invention is to" provide:- a needle threader of the character described which comprises: a: casing, including a pair of wail-led members of similar profile secured to gether in: face; to facerelatiom. the walled: meme bers providing therebetweexr a needle} socket: and a: thread notch adjacent the socket. each ot the walled members being formed cm the inner. surface thereof with an: elongated; narrow" wall; the narrow walls aredisposed in opposed; slights 1y spaced relation to each other and, extend transversely of the: sucker. one: of. the narrow walls being provided. with meanscooperatingwith the opposed narrow wall to: form. an clan-- gated, restricted. hook passageof uniform. widtlr,

together with a hook member of uniform thickness accommodated in. the hook passage for lone gitud-inal movement. toward the socket; the. walls-1 of: the passage being adapted to restrain the hook member against transverse. movement. and

and arralignment. of. parts, which;- will-.-. be-

3" Claims. (Cl. 2239.).

emnilifieidl in the construction hereinaiter dd?- scriboda. or which'the' scopeoi invention will:

be indicated the, following. claims.

In the: accompanyns. drawing, in isshown an illustrative embodiment of the invention;

Fig-iv 1. is a: firont. elevational: view of a needle threader' embodying; the. inventions,

Big.- 2 is a front cleuationalof one member of the! device shown in Fig. l. and showing. thev Fi s... is: a sectional view-1 taken on. the line s-s. of! Fig. and

Fig. 6. is. an: enlarged elevational. view of a. corner portion or themember shown, in Fig. 2., showing details of; the. hook, needle socket and thread. notch Refer-ringin detail. to. the drawing. l0 des ignates a needle threader embodying the invention. The. same. comprises, essentially a casing.

l which. is slidably mounted a hook memberz.

The. casing; l comprises a. pair of; flat. walled" members [1,. I2, of similar nrofile. The mem h rs LL. [2 may be molded: of) plastic, or made of facewith a. flange. I15. extending, along the edge l3. and aaflang e. ['6 extending along edge l4. The. upper surfaces,- of, flanges L5,. 15 lie. in acommon plane. The opposite. end' portions of flange 15 are provided with notches l1, I8 which extend. downwardly, and inwardly toward flange I6; Ihe. flange I5 is formed at its opposite end. portionswith a. pair of vertical grooves I9;

20,, disposed adjacent and. inwardly of notches 1-1,. l-8,,. respectively 'Pl'ie. grooves [9,. 20. taper toward the lower ends thereci. The lower ends of. grooves L9,. 21L terminate substantially at; the lower. ends of. he. jacent notche The, member U. is formed on its inner surface with. a. longitudinally extending narrow wall. or rib 24. which interconnects; the. opposite end} portions. of flange, 1-5.. The well all is. spaced above fiangez- I5 is parallel theretor. The. outer: sur-- race. or the; wall. 21 is. slightly depressorv below the. plane r nges. 15.. L6,; for. he r-ems hereina t swear ng. Pro e ting; frcmrthe upper and lowerribs 22, form in effect a channel, for the purpose,

hereinafter appearing. The member H is also formed with a centrally located projection 26 disposed above flange l6.

As shown in Fig. 3, the member l2 includes peripheral flanges |5a, l6a; notches l'la, Mia and grooves |9a, a. which complement the corresponding elements on member When the members |2 are secured together with the flanges l5, |5a, I6, [twin contacting relation, the complementary'grooves l9, 19a. and 20, 200., form tapered sockets adapted to receive needles to be threaded, the needles being inserted into the sockets with their eye portions lowermost. The notches N, Na and I8, |8a, form means for positioning thread which is to be threaded into the The wall 21 on member |2- is complementary to the channel formedon member by wall 2| andribs 22 and is adaptedto project into said channel when the members are assembled, as shown in Fig. 4. The slightly spaced surfaces of opposed walls 2|, 21, form in effect a restricted passage of uniform width extending from the opposite ends of slot .23 to the thread notches |a.; '|8, |8a., for the purpose hereinafter appearing.

The member I2 is further formed with a cen trally disposed recess 3| above flange IBa which is complementary to projection 26 on member and is adapted to receive the same, thus permitting the members I, I2 to be properly registered upon assembly thereof. I

Thehook member 2 is slidably mounted for longitudinal movement in the restricted passage between walls 2 21. The ribs 22 on wallv 2| prevent vertical movement of the hook member. The

hook member 2 comprises a very thin, flat, inter mediate shank portion 32 ha ing a uniform thick ness and a width substantially equal to the spacing between ribsv 22. Extendin from opposite ends of the intermediate portion 32and integral therewith, are hook portions 33.. The hook portions 33 are of uniform thickness and equal to the thickness of the shank portion 32. The hook member 2 may be stamped out of thin strip steel or other suitable material.

hook member within the hook passage formed by opposed walls 2|, 2?, to bring the hook portions thereof past the lower ends of the needle sockets and thread notches adjacentthereto, as shown in Fig. 6. To this end there is provided a knob or handle 34 of plasticor other suitable material. which is secured to one side of the hook member 2 and projects through slot portion 24. The knob 34 is of T-shaped cross section providing parallel '65 Means is provided for manually moving the 4 flanges 35 which are slidably received by shoulders 25, thus restraining the knob against movement out of slot 24. The hook member 2 is secured to knob 34 by means of integral tits 36 ex tending from the inner surface of the knob and force fitted into appropriate openings formed in the shank portion 32 of hook member 2. The inner surface of knob 34 substantially lies in the plane of wall 2|, thus properly supporting the central portion of hook member 2," the opposite end portions of which contact the wall 2 on one side thereof. The other side of hook member 2 is disposed in contacting relation with wall 21. The movement of hook member 2 is limited in either direction by abuttment of the knob 34 with the ends of slot 23.

It will be apparent that the hook member 2 isrestrained against transverse movement as it is moved toward the needle sockets, in either direction, by the opposed walls 2|, 21. Since the surfacesxof thewalls 2 2|,a're slightly depressed relative to the opposed flange surfaces at the needle sockets and thread notches, the hook por-r tions 33 of the hook member 2 will be properly directed to the center of the needle sockets.

The needle sockets are formed at their lower end to receive the flattened eye portion of a needle, thus providing self aligning means for a needle inserted into the socket, in a manner known in the art. With the needle eye properly oriented relative to the hook passage, the hook portion'33'of the hook member will readily pass greater than the transverse dimension of the needle socket at the lower end thereof and similarly, the transverse dimension of the hook passage is substantially equal to the size of the largest needle to be threaded.

The size of the needle sockets at the opposite ends of casing I may be of different size to ac' commodate different ranges of needle sizes.

The members ll, I2 are suitably secured together by means of cement or the like applied to the contacting flanges.

The tits 36 on knob 34 are accommodated in the recess 28 in wall 21, as the hook member 2 is operated.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a needle threader in which the several objects of this invention are achieved and which is well' adapted to meetthe conditions of practical use.v

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above described invention, and as various changes might b made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the ac" companying drawing, is to be interpreted asillus trative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters" Patent: 1. In a needle threader'comprising' a-casing formed with a needle socket and a thread notch adjacent thereto; said casing comprising 'a. pair of adjacent walls, one of said walls being formed with a channel' of uniform height throughout the longitudinal extent thereof disposed transvers'ely 'of and' extending to the lower end of saidsocket, the other of said walls being formed'with a longitudinal projection extending into the channel on said one wall and an elongated mem ber including shank and hook portions of uniform thickness slidably mounted in said channel for movement toward said socket and thread notch, the projection on said other wall contacting said shank and hook portions for restraining the hook portion of said elongated member against trans- Verse movement during longitudinal movement thereof.

A needle threader comprising a casing formed with a needle socket and a thread notch adjacent thereto, said casing including a pair of adjacent wall members, one of said wall members being formed with a channel disposed transversely of said socket, said channel including a side wall and a pair of spaced, longitudinally extending ribs projecting from the side wall, a thin, flat elongated member having shank and hook portions of uniform thickness slidably mounted in said channel with one side thereof in contacting relation with the side Wall of said channel said shank portion having a Width equal to the spacing of said ribs and means on the other wall member disposed in contacting relation with the longitudinal extent of other side of said elongated member for restraining said elongated member against transverse movement upon longitudinal movement thereof in said channel towards said socket and thread notch.

3. A needle threader comprising a casing including a pair of adjacent members of similar profile, said members including peripheral flanges 6 l on the inner surfaces thereof and in contacting relation with each other, opposed flange portions of said members being formed with a needle socket and a thread notch adjacent thereto, said members being formed on the inner surfaces thereof with opposed longitudinal walls disposed transversely of said socket, each of said walls comprising an outer surface slightly depressed below the plane of the flange of said member, said walls defining an elongated passage of uniform transverse spacing and height, a thin, flat elongated member of uniform thickness and terminating in a hook slidably mounted in said passage for movement in a longitudinal path toward said socket and thread notch and means on said walls for retaining said elongated member in said longitudinal path and against transverse and vertical movement during longitudinal movement thereof.

WILLIAM A. COTTE-R.'

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,281,180 Christ Apr. 28, 1942 2,311,665 Kahn Feb. 23, 1943 2,338,159 Appleton Jan. 4, 1944 2,507,370 Edwards May 9, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 23,183 Switzerland Jan. 11, 1901 

